“It gives me hope for the future to see so many people working together for the good of our city. I’m a product of the Memphis community: I went to school here from Kindergarten through the 12th grade and did my undergraduate and graduate work here. I attended an historically black college, LeMoyne-Owen, and have always been grateful for people who wanted to make a difference. I feel that I owe Memphis so much. I’m a retired schoolteacher and have been involved in a number of organizations over the years, including Leadership Memphis and Facing History and Ourselves. The Facing History program has helped me realize that to move forward, we have to face our history. Although Memphis hasn’t always had a good history, it has good people who are trying not to repeat the mistakes of the past. One example is the Caritas Community, which works to bring together people of all backgrounds and helps us recognize that together we can make a better future.
“I can’t tell you when I didn’t have a social conscience. My parents believed in helping people, and that was ingrained in me. I remember a young white lady my parents knew who was shunned by her family because she had a biracial son. That’s how things were then, but my parents were always kind to her. They modeled that for us kids. The driving force for me has always been faith and family. I want to live the kind of life I read about in the Bible.”
“I can’t tell you when I didn’t have a social conscience. My parents believed in helping people, and that was ingrained in me. I remember a young white lady my parents knew who was shunned by her family because she had a biracial son. That’s how things were then, but my parents were always kind to her. They modeled that for us kids. The driving force for me has always been faith and family. I want to live the kind of life I read about in the Bible.”
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